Passive activated safety blood collection set

ABSTRACT

A shieldable needle device including a needle cannula, a hub, a pair of wings extending laterally from opposing sides of the hub, a tip guard axially movable along the needle cannula from a proximal position substantially adjacent the hub to a distal position, and a drive member is disclosed. The drive member includes a first end connected to the hub and a second end connected to the tip guard and is extendable between a folded biased position and an extended position for moving the tip guard from the proximal position to the distal position. The pair of wings, when in a dorsal position, retain the drive member in the folded biased position maintaining the tip guard in a proximal position. Upon release of the wings, the drive member unfolds, extending the tip guard from the proximal position toward the distal position.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.10/738,872, filed Dec. 17, 2003.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to blood collection sets for safe andconvenient handling of needles. More particularly, the present inventionrelates to a low cost disposable blood collection set including a needleassembly having a safety shield.

2. Description of Related Art

Disposable medical devices having piercing elements are typically usedfor administering a medication or withdrawing a fluid, such as bloodcollecting needles, fluid handling needles and assemblies thereof.Current medical practice requires that the fluid containers and needleassemblies used in such systems be inexpensive and readily disposable.Consequently, existing blood collection systems, for example, typicallyemploy some form of durable, reusable holder on which detachable anddisposable needles and fluid collection tubes may be mounted. A bloodcollection system of this nature can be assembled prior to use and thendisassembled after usage. Thus, these blood collection systems allowrepeated use of the relatively expensive holder upon replacement of therelatively inexpensive needle and/or fluid collection tube. In additionto reducing the cost of collecting blood specimens, these bloodcollection systems also help minimize the production of hazardousmedical waste.

A blood collection set or intravenous (IV) infusion set typicallyincludes a needle cannula having a proximal end, a pointed distal endand a lumen extending therebetween. The proximal end of the needlecannula is securely mounted in a plastic hub with a central passage thatcommunicates with the lumen through the needle cannula. A thin flexiblethermoplastic tube is connected to the hub and communicates with thelumen of the needle cannula. The end of the plastic tube remote from theneedle cannula may include a fixture for connecting the needle cannulato a blood collection tube or some other receptacle. The specificconstruction of the fixture will depend upon the characteristics of thereceptacle to which the fixture will be connected.

In order to reduce the risk of incurring an accidental needle-stickwound, protection of used needle tips becomes important. With concernabout infection and transmission of diseases, methods and devices toenclose the used disposable needle have become very important and ingreat demand. For example, needle assemblies commonly employ a safetyshield that can be moved into shielding engagement with a used needlecannula without risking an accidental needle stick.

Some needle shields are referred to as tip guards, and include a smallrigid guard that can be telescoped along the length of a needle cannulaand extended over the puncture tip of the needle for protection. Suchconventional tip guards may include some form of tether for limiting thetravel of the tip guard to the length of the needle cannula.Additionally, such conventional tip guards typically include a structurethat lockingly engages over the tip of the used needle cannula toprevent a re-exposure of the needle. The structure for preventingre-exposure may include a metallic spring clip or a transverse wallintegrally formed with one end of the tip guard. Needle assembliesincluding such tip guards, however, typically include extensivemechanics for positioning of the tip guard, resulting in complexarrangements which are costly to manufacture and assemble. Also,operation of the tip guard can involve substantial manipulation by theuser to extend the tip guard to a shielding position.

U.S. Patent Publication No. US 2002/0099339 discloses a safety shieldfor needles which includes a pair of deflectable leaves on opposinglateral sides of a needle assembly for moving a tip guard along theneedle to a shielding position. In use, the deflectable leaves arereleased causing the leaves to extend or unfold to move the tip guardalong the needle to the shielding position.

While prior art devices provide for effective shielding of used needles,a need remains for needle assemblies for use with a blood collection setwhich achieve secure and effective shielding of a used needle tip whilemaintaining a low profile and providing a defined gripping structure toaid in positioning of the needle for insertion, and which is simple andinexpensive to manufacture and easy to operate.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to a shieldable needle device,particularly useful in connection with a blood collection set. Theneedle device includes a needle cannula having opposed proximal anddistal ends and a hub supporting a proximal end of the needle cannula.The proximal end of the hub may be adapted for mating with a medicaldevice, whereby a flexible tube, including a structure for mating with ablood collection assembly, may extend from the proximal end of the hub.The needle device further includes a pair of bendable wings havingsurfaces extending laterally from opposing sides of the hub, a tipguard, and a drive member.

The tip guard is axially movable along the needle cannula from aproximal position substantially adjacent the hub to a distal positionwhere the tip guard protectively surrounds the distal end of the needlecannula.

The drive member includes a first flexible member connected between thehub and the tip guard, and extends between a folded biased position andan extended position for moving the tip guard from the proximal positionto the distal position. The pair of wings are bendable between alaterally extending position and a dorsal position and may also beintegrally formed with a hub. When in a dorsal position, the pair ofwings retain the drive member in the folded bias position, to maintainthe tip guard in the proximal position. When the pair of wings are in adorsal position, a gap may also be created between the hub and the wingsurfaces, whereby a portion of the drive member in the folded biasedposition is retained internal to the gap. Upon release of the wings fromthe dorsal position to the laterally extending position, the created gapis eliminated and the drive member is permitted to unfold and extend thetip guard from the proximal position toward the distal position.

The tip guard may include a tip guard housing formed from a plasticmaterial with a metallic spring clip mounted to the housing. The springclip is biased against the needle cannula when the tip guard is in theproximal position and is being resiliently moved over the distal end ofthe needle cannula when the tip guard is in the distal position. Theshieldable needle device may also include a packaging cover having anopening for protectively surrounding the needle cannula. The packagingcover may include structure for removably mating with the device and mayinclude a slot area for maintaining the wings in the dorsal position.

In another embodiment, the present invention is directed to a method forshielding a medical needle device. The method includes providing ashieldable needle device as described hereinabove, providing a removablepackaging cover, and removing the packaging cover from the shieldableneedle device. The packaging cover protectively surrounds the needlecannula and maintains the pair of wings in the dorsal position to allowthe pair of wings to retain the drive member in the folded bias positionbetween the wings. The packaging cover is removed from the shieldableneedle device, thereby releasing the wings from the dorsal position tothe laterally extending position and allowing the drive member to unfoldand extend the tip guard from the proximal position toward the distalposition.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a shieldable needle device in accordancewith the present invention including a packaging cover thereon;

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the shieldable needle deviceof the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the shieldable needle device of FIG. 1in use;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the shieldable needle device of FIG. 1with the packaging cover removed;

FIG. 5 is a side cross-sectional view of the shieldable needle device ofFIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the shieldable needle device in anextended shielding position; and

FIG. 7 is a side cross-sectional view of the shieldable needle device ofFIG. 6 in the extended shielding position.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring to the drawings in which like reference characters refer tolike parts throughout the several views thereof, FIG. 1 illustrates ablood collection set in accordance with the present invention and therelated features. The present invention is generally described in termsof a blood collection set, and encompasses such a blood collection set,as well as a shieldable needle assembly for use in such a bloodcollection set.

As shown in FIG. 1, blood collection set 10 includes a shieldable needledevice 12, a flexible tube 14 extending from needle device 12, a fixture16 mounted to tube 14, and a packaging cover 18 removably mounted toportions of needle device 12 opposite tube 14, such as through africtional engagement. Shieldable needle device 12 of blood collectionset 10 is shown in detail in FIGS. 2-7, and generally includes a needlecannula 20, a hub 30, a tip guard assembly 50 and a drive member 80 formoving the tip guard assembly 50.

Needle cannula 20 includes a proximal end 22 and an opposing distal end24, with lumen 26 extending through needle cannula 20 from proximal end22 to distal end 24. Distal end 24 of needle cannula 20 is beveled todefine a sharp puncture tip 28, such as an intravenous puncture tip.Puncture tip 28 is provided for insertion into a patient's blood vessel,such as a vein, and is therefore designed to provide ease of insertionand minimal discomfort during venipuncture.

Needle assembly 12 further includes hub 30. Hub 30 is a unitarystructure, desirably molded from a thermoplastic material. Hub 30includes a proximal end 32, a distal end 34, and is defined by a rigidstructure 36 extending between the ends. The distal end 34 of hub 30includes structure for mating with drive member 80, such as two buttonelements 35 for connection with the drive member 80, as will bediscussed in more detail hereinafter. Structure 36 having an underside37 includes an opening 38 at the distal end of the structure 36 forreceiving the proximal end 22 of the needle cannula 20. Needle cannula20 is positioned within opening 38 of hub 30, and extends from distalend 34 of hub 30. Desirably, needle cannula 20 and hub 30 are separateparts which are fixedly attached and secured through an appropriatemedical grade adhesive, for example, epoxy or the like. Additionally, anopening 40 at the proximal end of the structure 36 is adaptable toreceive flexible tube 14, or other medical device, such as a tubeholder, or the like.

Hub 30 further includes a wing element 44 including a body 47 extendingbetween a pair of wings 46 and 48. Body 47 of wing element 44 may befixedly attached to the underside 37 of the hub, thereby allowing wings46 and 48 to extend laterally from structure 36 at opposing sidesthereof. Wings 46 and 48 provide hub 30, and needle assembly 12, as abutterfly-type wing assembly, assistance in positioning, stabilizing andplacement of needle assembly 12 and blood collection set 10 during ablood collection procedure. Wings 46 and 48 are preferably of a flexiblematerial, and are bendable between a relaxed, laterally extendingposition in which they are substantially planar, to a bent dorsalposition, as shown in FIG. 4. While wings 46 and 48 may be a preformedbent structure, wings 46 and 48 may also be a planar structure, forexample wing surfaces having a skive portion to assist in folding wings46 and 48 to a dorsal position. Wings 46 and 48 may further be aco-molded part with hub 30, exhibiting soft and rigid properties.

Needle assembly 12 further includes tip guard assembly 50, which extendsco-axially about needle cannula 20 and is movable along needle cannula20 between a first proximal position adjacent hub 30, and a seconddistal position adjacent puncture tip 28, as will be described in moredetail herein. Tip guard assembly 50 desirably includes a housing 52 anda protective clip 60. Housing 52 is a unitary structure, desirablymolded from a thermoplastic material, including a recessed slot area 53,a proximal end 54, a distal end 56, and an internal passage 58 extendingbetween the ends. Portions of internal passage 58 adjacent distal end 56define an enlarged clip receptacle 62, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 7.Additionally, tip guard assembly 50 includes an extending button member57 which extends from the top portion of housing 52, desirably at thedistal end thereof. A clip mounting post 64 extends downwardly fromhousing 52 at a location near proximal end 54 of housing 52.

Clip 60 is unitarily stamped and formed from a resiliently deflectablemetallic material. Clip 60 includes a planar spring leg 66 with aproximal end 68 and an opposed distal end 70. A mounting aperture 72extends through spring leg 66 at a location near proximal end 68.Mounting aperture 72 has a diameter approximately equal to or slightlyless than the diameter of mounting post 64 of housing 52. As such,mounting post 64 can be forced through mounting aperture 72 when theaxis of mounting post 64 and the axis of mounting aperture 72 aresubstantially collinear. A lock out leg 74 extends from distal end 70 ofspring leg 66. The extending lock out leg 74 enables secure protectiveengagement with puncture tip 28 of needle cannula 20 and further enablessmooth axial sliding movement of tip guard assembly 50 along needlecannula 20, as explained further herein.

Hub 30 and tip guard assembly 50 are interconnected through drive member80. Drive member 80 provides for axial movement of tip guard assembly 50along needle cannula 20 from a first proximal position adjacent hub 30to a second distal position adjacent puncture tip 28, as will bedescribed in more detail herein.

Drive member 80 includes a body 82 having a proximal end 84 and a distalend 86. Body 82 is desirably a resilient flexible material capable ofbending and/or extending without an application of force, such assilicone. For example, prior to use, the drive member 80 is in a foldedbiased position, and upon release of the wings 46 and 48, as will bedescribed hereinafter, the drive member 80 extends forward. Proximal end84 of body 82 of drive member 80 includes structure for mating with hub30, such as two circular openings 88 for receiving the button elements35 on distal end 34 of hub 30, thereby securing the proximal end 84 ofthe drive member 80 to the distal end 34 of hub 30. Distal end 86 ofbody 82 of drive member 80 includes a circular opening 92 to mate withthe extending button member 57 on distal end 56 of the tip guardassembly 50. Alternatively or in addition to the mechanical matingstructure provided by button elements 35 and openings 88, proximal end84, as well as distal end 86 of body 82 may be fixedly attached to tipguard assembly 50, such as through the use of an adhesive or the like.

Since proximal end 84 of body 82 is connected to distal end 34 of hub30, and since the wings 46 and 48 extend laterally from hub 30, movementof the wings 46 and 48 results in the corresponding movement of drivemember 80. In particular, when in a dorsal position, the wings 46 and 48retain the drive member 80 in a folded biased position. Additionally,wings 46 and 48 in a dorsal position create a gap 94 between the hub 30and wings 46 and 48 thereby retaining a portion of drive member 80internally within gap 94. This acts to maintain the tip guard assembly50 in a proximal position adjacent the distal end 34 of hub 30. Uponrelease of wings 46 and 48, wings 46 and 48 are free to moveautomatically from the dorsal position in which they are bent togetherto form a unitary dorsal structure to the relaxed, laterally extendingposition in turn, eliminating gap 94. As such, the body 82 of drivemember 80 is no longer retained by wings 46 and 48, and unfolds toextend the tip guard assembly 50 in a direction toward distal end 24 ofneedle cannula 20. Moreover, since distal end 86 of body 82 is fixedlyattached to tip guard assembly 50, and since tip guard assembly 50 isactually movable along needle cannula 20, the release of wings 46 and 48causes tip guard assembly 50 to axially move in the direction of arrow100, away from hub 30 and toward distal end 24 of needle cannula 20,where tip guard assembly 50 can effectively shield puncture tip 28.

Tip guard assembly 50 moves axially along needle cannula 20 towarddistal end 24 during movement of drive member 80 through correspondingmovement between wings 46 and 48 and body 82. Release of wings 46 and 48from the dorsal position to a laterally extending position causes body82 of drive member 80 to unfold and extend toward distal end 24 ofneedle cannula 20. Body 82 is a flexible material biased toward theextending position, and therefore acts as a means for storing energy toextend body 82 toward distal end 24 of needle cannula 20 uponcorresponding movement between wings 46 and 48, thereby propelling tipguard assembly 50 from the proximal position to the distal position.

Assembly of blood collection set 10 may be accomplished as follows. Tipguard assembly 50 is assembled by forcing mounting post 64 of tip guardhousing 52 through mounting aperture 72 of clip 60. Spring leg 66 ofclip 60 is then urged downwardly or away from internal passage 58through tip guard housing 52. Drive member 80 is then interconnectedbetween tip guard assembly 50 and hub 30 by depressing openings 88 and92 over buttons 35 and 57, respectively. Distal end 22 of needle cannula20 is then passed through internal passage 38 of hub 30, and urged intointernal passage 58 at proximal end 54 of tip guard housing 52. Thedownward deflection of spring leg 66 enables distal end 24 of needlecannula 20 to be passed entirely through tip guard housing 52. Springleg 66 can be released after puncture tip 28 of needle cannula 20 passesentirely through tip guard housing 52. Thus, the end of lock out leg 74will be biased against and slide along needle cannula 20. Tip guardassembly 50 then is slid proximally along needle cannula 20 into aposition adjacent hub 30, with drive member 80 folded over itself into abent, biased position, primed for use. Wings 46 and 48 are then benttoward each other in a dorsal manner to form a dorsally matingstructure. Packaging cover 18 is then urged over puncture tip 28 andurged proximally over needle cannula 20, with puncture tip 28 safelymaintained and disposed within packaging cover 18, and with the lateralside 17 and notch or slot 19 of packaging shield 18 maintaining wings 46and 48 in the bent dorsal position. Packaging cover 18 is desirablyconstructed of a rigid material which is capable of maintaining wings46, 48 in the dorsal position.

Blood collection set 10 can be packaged substantially in the conditionshown in FIG. 1, such as in a blister package. Prior to use, bloodcollection set 10 is removed from its package, and fixture 16 may beconnected to an appropriate receptacle for providing fluid communicationwith lumen 28 through needle cannula 20.

In use, blood collection set 10 is provided with needle device 12assembled and including flexible tube 14 extending from needle device 12and connected to fixture 16. After removing blood collection set 10 fromits package, it can be assembled with other appropriate medicalequipment for use. For example, a non-patient needle assembly and aneedle holder may be connected to blood collection set 10 throughfixture 16.

To prepare for use of blood collection set 10, the user grasps bloodcollection set 10 at needle device 12, placing a thumb and forefingerbetween wings 46 and 48 of hub 30, with wings 46 and 48 maintained in adorsal position between the user's fingers, as shown in FIG. 3. Bothwings 46 and 48 are preferably flexed or bent toward each other betweena user's thumb and forefinger with body 82 of drive member 80 trappedtherebetween. Packaging cover 18 is then grasped and urged distally todisengage from needle cannula 20, thereby exposing puncture tip 28 ofneedle cannula 20.

The medical practitioner can then urge puncture tip 28 at distal end 24of needle cannula 20 into a targeted blood vessel of a patient, whilewings 46 and 48 are maintained between thumb and forefinger to assist incontrolled entry by the medical practitioner. Tip guard assembly 50 ismaintained in the proximal position due to the grip by the user'sfingers between wings 46 and 48, which maintains drive member 80 in thefolded, biased state.

After the targeted blood vessel has been accessed, the medicalpractitioner can release wings 46 and 48. Once the user releases thedevice, drive member 80 is free to move from the folded bias position tothe extending unfolded position, due to the bias exerted by body 82 ofdrive member 80 through release of wings 46 and 48. Such movement causesbody 82 to extend, thereby propelling tip guard assembly 50 distallyalong needle cannula 20 in an axial direction of arrow 100, with tipguard assembly 50 sliding or gliding along needle cannula 20 towarddistal end 24. Distal movement of tip guard assembly 50 will terminatewhen proximal end 54 of tip guard housing 52 contacts the skin of thepatient near the puncture site.

Upon completion of the procedure, such as when all desired samples havebeen drawn, needle cannula 20 is withdrawn from the patient. Thisremoval of needle cannula 20 from the patient will permit furtherextension of body 82 and a corresponding distal movement of tip guardassembly 50 in an axial direction of arrow 100. After tip guard assembly50 is moved along needle cannula 20 to the distal end 24, lockout leg 74of clip 60 will pass distally beyond puncture tip 28 of needle cannula20. The inherent resiliency of spring leg 66 of clip 60 will urgelockout leg 74 over puncture tip 28 of needle cannula 20. Thus, a returnmovement of tip guard assembly 50 is prevented. Furthermore, drivemember 80 has an overall dimension that will prevent movement of tipguard assembly 50 distally beyond needle cannula 20. Hence, puncture tip28 of needle cannula 20 is safely shielded. Blood collection set 10 maythen be appropriately discarded.

Since wings 46 and 48 are initially bent in a dorsal position, wings 46and 48 can act as a handle portion during insertion, withdrawal anddisposal of needle device 12. In particular, after release of wings 46and 48 to propel tip guard assembly 50 to the distal position shieldingneedle cannula 20, wings 46 and 48 extend laterally from hub 30. Sincewings 46 and 48 are a flexible rigid structure, wings 46 and 48 can bebent to a dorsal position to grip needle device 12 after removal fromthe patient, and can act as a handle portion for carrying bloodcollection set 10 at a position remote from the used needle tip ofcannula 20. Additionally, drive member 80 can be activated whilepuncture tip 28 is within the patient's blood vessel, thereby axiallymoving tip guard assembly 50, axially along needle cannula 20, or may beactivated after puncture tip 28 is removed from the patient's bloodvessel.

The shielding feature of the present invention is passively activatedupon normal usage of the device. In particular, upon removal of thepackaging cover prior to insertion, the safety feature is primed andcharged, ready for shielding the needle once the user releases the wingstructure after insertion into a patient. Moreover, as described above,passive shielding of the needle cannula is automatically achieved merelyby removing needle cannula from the patient.

In some instances, the needle device may be dropped or knocked from thehand of the medical practitioner either before venipuncture or during amedical procedure. The passive shielding described above will commenceautomatically when the needle device is dropped or knocked from themedical practitioner's hand. Thus, the automatic shielding may betriggered by the intentional or unintentional release of the wings bythe medical practitioner.

Moreover, a medical practitioner does not always enter the targetedblood vessel during the first venipuncture attempt. However, a medicalpractitioner typically retains a close grip on the needle device untilthe targeted blood vessel has been entered. In this instance, thecontinued gripping of the wings will prevent the needle from shieldinguntil the targeted blood vessel has been punctured. The second attemptat accessing a targeted blood vessel generally is a very low riskprocedure in which the practitioner's hand is spaced considerably fromthe puncture tip of the needle cannula. Thus, the blood collection setaccording to the present invention does not involve the inconvenience ofhaving to use a new blood collection set following each unsuccessfulvenipuncture attempt.

While the needle assembly of the present invention has been described interms of one embodiment for use in connection with a blood collectionsystem, it is further contemplated that the needle assembly could beused with other medical procedures, such as in conjunction with aconventional intravenous infusion set, which are well known in the artfor use with needle assemblies.

While the present invention is satisfied by embodiments in manydifferent forms, there is shown in the drawings and described herein indetail, the preferred embodiments of the invention, with theunderstanding that the present disclosure is to be considered asexemplary of the principles of the invention and is not intended tolimit the invention to the embodiments illustrated. Various otherembodiments will be apparent to and readily made by those skilled in theart without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. Thescope of the invention will be measured by the appended claims and theirequivalents.

What is claimed:
 1. A device comprising: a needle cannula havingproximal and distal ends; a hub supporting said proximal end of saidneedle cannula; a pair of wings extending laterally from the hub, saidwings being bendable between a laterally extending position and a dorsalposition; a shield axially movable along said needle cannula from aproximal position to a distal position; and a drive member extendablebetween a biased position and an extended position for moving saidshield from said proximal position to said distal position, wherein saiddrive member is connected to said hub and connected to said shield,wherein said pair of wings retains said drive member in said biasedposition when in said dorsal position, thereby maintaining the shield inthe proximal position, and wherein movement of said wings from saiddorsal position toward said laterally extending position enables thewings to release said drive member and thereby enable the shield toextend from the proximal position toward the distal position.
 2. Thedevice of claim 1, wherein said wings are integrally formed with saidhub.
 3. The device of claim 1, wherein said wings are formed of aresilient flexible material.
 4. The device of claim 1, wherein saiddrive member is formed of a resilient flexible member.
 5. The device ofclaim 1, wherein the shield comprises a tip guard.
 6. A devicecomprising: a needle cannula having proximal and distal ends; a hubsupporting said proximal end of said needle cannula; a pair of wingsurfaces extending laterally from opposing sides of the hub, said wingsbeing bendable between a laterally extending position and a dorsalposition whereby a gap is created between said hub and said wingsurfaces when in said dorsal position; a tip guard axially movable alongsaid needle cannula from a proximal position to a distal position wheresaid tip guard protectively surrounds said distal end of said needlecannula; and a drive member extendable between a folded biased positionand an extended position for moving said tip guard from said proximalposition to said distal position, wherein said drive member comprises afirst end connected to said hub and a second end connected to said tipguard, wherein a portion of said drive member in said folded biasedposition is retained internal to said gap while said wing surfaces arein said dorsal position, and wherein movement of said wings from saiddorsal position toward said laterally extending position enables thewings to release said drive member and thereby enable the tip guard toextend from the proximal position toward the distal position.
 7. Thedevice of claim 6, wherein said wing surfaces are integrally formed withsaid hub.
 8. The device of claim 6, wherein said wing surfaces comprisea unitary member are formed of a resilient flexible material.
 9. Thedevice of claim 6, wherein said drive member is formed of a resilientflexible member.
 10. A shieldable needle device comprising: a needlecannula having proximal and distal ends; a hub supporting said proximalend of said needle cannula; a pair of wings extending laterally fromopposing sides of the hub, said wings being bendable between a laterallyextending position and a dorsal position; a shield axially movable alongsaid needle cannula from a proximal position substantially adjacent saidhub to a distal position; a drive member extendable between a foldedbiased position and an extended position for moving said shield fromsaid proximal position to said distal position, with release of saidwings from said dorsal position to said laterally extending positionallowing said drive member to unfold and extend the shield from theproximal position toward the distal position; and a removable packagingcover surrounding said needle cannula and maintaining said wings in saiddorsal position.
 11. A shieldable needle device comprising: a needlecannula having proximal and distal ends; a hub supporting said proximalend of said needle cannula; a pair of wing surfaces extending laterallyfrom opposing sides of the hub, said wings being bendable between alaterally extending position and a dorsal position whereby a gap iscreated between said hub and said wing surfaces when in said dorsalposition; a shield axially movable along said needle cannula from aproximal position to a distal position where the shield surrounds saiddistal end of said needle cannula; a drive member extendable between afolded biased position and an extended position for moving said shieldfrom said proximal position to said distal position, said drive membercomprising a first end connected to said hub and a second end connectedto said shield, wherein a portion of said drive member in said foldedbiased position is retained internal to said gap while said wingsurfaces are in said dorsal position; and a removable packaging coverfor surrounding said needle cannula, wherein the packaging coverincludes a slot area for maintaining said wings in said dorsal position.